US Judge says Facebook privacy settlement OK

A US judge has approved to a second attempt by social notworking site Facebook to settle a class action lawsuit over privacy rights.

Judge Richard Seeborg rejected a settlement in August over Facebook's 'Sponsored Stories' advertising feature asking the reasonable question as to why lawyers were getting paid when users were not. Seeborg said a revised settlement "falls within the range of possible approval as fair, reasonable and adequate."

In a revised proposal, Facebook and plaintiff lawyers said users now could claim a cash payment of up to $10 each to be paid from a $20 million total settlement fund. Any money remaining would then go to charity. The company also said it would engineer a new tool to enable users to view content that might have been displayed in Sponsored Stories and opt out if they desire, a court document said.